


The Wendigo's Hunger

by IsisWitch



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Gore, F/M, Mental Health Issues, Paranormal, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:28:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21697768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsisWitch/pseuds/IsisWitch
Summary: Sam decided to save Josh from the wendigo's curse. But can she trust her friends and the Flamethrower's children, Lucas and [Y/N]?
Relationships: Josh Washington/Reader, Sam Giddings/Josh Washington
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I hope you will enjoy this..."continued" (I don't know how to call it ;_;) of Until Dawn.  
> Characters don't belong to me of course, except Lucas.  
> English is not my native language so please be indulgent.

[The Frozen World - Émilie Simon]

This place hadn't changed in a year. Was the snow as white? Sam wasn't sure about that. She was looking through the window of the bus, which was driving her to the blackwood pines, three hundred sixty-five days after Washington's tragedy. The sky had greyish tones and the top of the mountains were hidden behind the heavy clouds. A mysterious fog rose little by little. It wouldn't have bothered her one year ago, but today, it was different. Maybe Beth and Hannah's ghosts were floating here, beneath this wet grey screen, watching their friend coming back to the lodge.  
She wondered how was feeling Josh. It was him, who asked everybody to come here and have a sort of birthday party last year. It was kinda paradoxical: he wanted to forget what happened to his sisters by celebrating their death. It was really weird. Anyway, Sam liked him enough to do that. If it was the only way to make him feel better, she was ready to commemorate the twins' lost with him. She missed him. He was the kind of person who had this little indescribable thing that could have made you melt. Even if he was often oversexualizing everything, she didn't mind. It was never unhealthy, embarrassing jokes. It was just ... Josh. His smile was pretty seductive too, like the rest of his body: his clear eyes, which had a strange but beautiful color between green and blue... His black soft hair, the shape of his lips, his olive skin. The only thing she didn't know about was... "Stop it, you stupid girl. He was your friend. There was nothing between him and you." she said to herself, realizing she was biting her lower lip.  
A sudden stop threw her against the seat in front of her. She quickly took her pink backpack and step out of the bus. She deeply wanted to abandon it on the road, but it was a gift from her mother, so she'd better keep it. Joshua laughed at her each time she was bringing this babyish bag with her. At least, he took it for her each time, he could be a gentleman sometimes.  
The night had almost fallen, the snow was already submerging her ushanka. She made her way to the cable car, but Chris wasn't waiting for her. Nobody was here, except her. She decided by herself to come back in the mountains, to find her friend who had disappeared in the depths of mines. Authorities were formal: he was probably dead. He couldn't survive without food, in the winter cold, wounded and alone. It was impossible. Nobody tried to search his corpse or the cause of his decease, and this was driving her mad. Yes, he had done stupid things, like this horrible prank, but he was, first of all, a human in distress. She imagined him, waiting for any kind of help that never arrived. Maybe the police were right. What was she expecting? To win a fight against tens of wendigos? She sighed and opened her backpack. A photo of her and Josh was inside, she was certain to have put it in her bag before she left, but she couldn't find it.  
"I'll search for it later."  
She climbed into the cable car and relaxed a bit. She wouldn't be disturbed by anybody, Washington's didn't want to enter in the lodge, after their three-loss, it was too hard. They gave her the key and didn't stop to repeat she could do what she wanted with it. She was surprised by their behavior. They weren't really curious about their children's death, as if they already disappeared from their memories. It looked like everybody on Earth had become blind. Friends, family, each of them had forgotten about Hannah, Beth, and their brother. She looked at the ground, while a tear was rolling on her pale cheek. She felt guilty and monstrous. She abandoned Josh. But now was the time to be forgiven.  
Mike was still angry, because of what his "friend" had done, Chris was always avoiding the subject and Matt was neutral but too scared to go with Sam. And the girls... Well... They tried to forget this story as much as they could. Ashley was scared to death of Josh himself. After all, he hit her in the face, for a "revenge game". Sam was quite comprehensive. Jessica, after her hospital sojourn, decided to cut off contact with the rest of the group, including Mike. But she kept talking with Sam for a while. The two women admitted that Josh was their crush before the incident. Jess hoped so much that her boyfriend at that time said "yes" when she asked if he was serious about letting Joshua coming with them for their little... Shindig. In fact, the braided hair girl wasn't mad or scared anymore. The past was behind her and talking about him wasn't so irritating. For Emily's part, it was impossible to have a normal conversation when Josh was put on the table. She was turning hysterical and having nightmares for entire weeks about the mines and the creatures living there.  
Someone knocked at the window of the cable car. Sam screamed out and hurried to the booth bottom. How was that possible?

"Who the hell are you?" she asked.

"If you stop yelling like a dying pig, maybe we will be able to introduce ourselves." answered a man with long straight black hair

"What do you mean by ourselves ?"

Once again, the man invited her to step out of the cabin. She obeyed and saw behind her interlocutor a young lady. She looked tired and worried. 

"So...hum...Hello, my name is Lucas, and this is my sister, [Y/N]. I suppose you're Samantha, am I right?"

"How do you know my name?"

"Can we talk in the lodge? We're running out of time."

Sam nodded and followed Lucas through the woods she strode across, covered in blood and dirt, a year ago. She walked beside [Y/N], who didn't say a word since they had met. Lucas's sister had [Y/H/C] hair too, [Y/S/C] skin and [Y/E/C] eyes. She was hiding her chin and her lips into her winter jacket collar, but Sam was convicted that it wasn't because of the cold weather. The girl was hiding from something. Wendigos? Did they know about them?

"Are you alright, [Y/N] ?" she asked.

[Y/N] turned her head in a jump and quickly nodded. Before Sam could say anything else, Lucas shouted their names. They were in front of the lodge. The blonde woman breathed a huge sigh of relief. Finally, she would be able to take a hot bath, have some rest and find answers to her questions. Lucas opened the door and let his sister and Sam enter the lodge.

"Alright, guys, Sam is here, we can start our investigations." declared the tall man, by putting off his long black felt coat.

"What the fuck are you doing here, you all?" asked Sam.

Indeed, all the band was sitting in the living room. Chris stood up and explained to her that Lucas had contacted him a few weeks ago, to help him and his sister to find their common friend, Joshua Washington. At first, he was reluctant and doubtful. How Josh could have survived? But the revelations of Lucas convinced him to save his old best friend and tried, in turn, to persuade Ashley to come with him. Mike, Jess, Matt, and Emily have been informed too, one by one. They hesitated, as did Chris, and finally agreed that they couldn't let Ash and Chris alone in the mountains, where too many wendigos were roaming.

"And what's that super mega secret that changed your mind?"

"There is a way to get back from the state of wendigo. That's why [Y/N] and I are here. I'm the weapon, she's the brain. But we need as much help as possible, and this is the reason why we called the seven of you." replied Lucas.

"Maybe you could let your sister talk for just a second?" suggested Emily.

[Y/N] lifted her eyes in surprise and seemed more worried than ever. She walked slowly to the center of the room and sighed.

"Yes, there is a solution. Our father, Jack Fiddler, was a wendigo hunter. Chris saw him dying by the hands of a creature."

"He was your father? Oh God, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. When we learned his death, we deeply wanted to get our revenge and become hunters too. Then your witnesses were broadcasted on TV and radio, with Josh's disappearance... And also the mysterious slaughter of two forest rangers, in the same mines. We had finally a true goal, which worth to die for: save our friend."

"Wait, wait, wait, how do you know him?" asked Mike.

"I have been in the same class as him since preschool, and when we entered high school he was giving me Spanish tutoring. He quickly became friends with Lucas, and... he and I were getting closer from day to day."

Sam felt something breaking inside her. Was it her heart? So when Josh said he was very happy that she had come to the birthday, was he only talking about a special friendship? Her cheeks got red and she had a lump in the throat. Lucas put maps, notes, and illustrations on the coffee table. The group paid great attention to [Y/N] 's brother's explanations. Sam's vision became blurry.

"Hey, guys, can you continue without me? I need to... rest a bit. I don't feel very well."

Lucas was about to protest but his sister stopped him and allowed Sam to go upstairs and have a bath. She headed towards the bathroom, locked the door and lighted some candles. She remembered what happened last year. Josh had hidden a camera and filmed her, naked, then only wrapped up in a white towel. If it has been kind of traumatic a year ago, today she was afraid to admit to herself the truth: she would have loved to see her in a bathtub, in Josh's arms. She felt like a true psychopath, but she couldn't stop thinking about that. Oh, how she dreamt to be in a flimsy outfit, in hot water, with him, the only man she had truly desired. While she was undressing, she was thinking about the things Joshua could have done to her in this bathroom, if she had invited him to join her the last time she saw him, in his normal state. She slipped into the water and imagined his body against hers. God, he was probably the hottest thing on these mountains. Her hand slowly reached her crotch and started to skim herself. She closed her eyes a few seconds and reopened them in a whisper. But what appeared in her sight absolutely terrorized her!

"Joshua? Is that you?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /!\ Lemon

[What Went We - Mark Korven]

"Joshua? Is that you?"

No answer. 

"The fuck are you doing here? Do you realize that I'm naked in a bath?" 

The young man simply approached himself from the bathtub and kneeled in front of his friend. Something was different with him. Not physically, but in his attitude. The silence in the room was worrying, abnormally present. Josh hated not to talk with someone in the same place as him.

"I can't believe you're here. I mean... How is that possible? The guys and I thought you were probably dead. Oh God Josh where have you been? I've got to announce it!"

Joshua didn't reply anything and grabbed Sam's shoulder, forcing her to stay in the bathtub. His strength and way to act had changed too. His touch was cold, rough and gentle at the same time. Before his disappearance, he never touched a woman except if she was her girlfriend, or if she had to be protected.

"Shhh... don't say a word." he murmured.

He moved aside a lock of her hair and placed it behind her ear. Sam was mesmerized by his slow gestures, his bright gaze on her... the way he was pulling off his shirt, to let her see his chest. It looked exactly as she imagined it. He finished to undress and pet her head.

"J-Josh..."

"What's wrong, Sammy?"

She closed her eyes and felt tears running on her red cheeks. She begged him to stop calling her with this nickname he used in high school. It meant too many things for her. When her eyelids opened up, she saw him just in front of her, which gave her a jolt. She didn't even hear him entering into the water. His clear eyes were focusing on her, like a predator staring at its prey.

"We can't do this, Josh."

"What could prevent us to do it?" he said, crawling above her body. "Tell me, Sam, did you miss me?"

Her limbs and mouth were paralyzed. This man came from another planet, he couldn't be the Josh she knew.  
He repeated his question again and again, by sliding his hand on her thighs and soon, on her inner sanctum. He wasn't rubbing her, he just placed his cold hand on it and kept looking straight in her eyes. The strange contrast between the hot water and his freezing fingers strengthened her in her idea that something was wrong with Josh. She whispered "yes" in his ear and span her head. He placed himself behind her and cupped her breasts in his large hands while kissing and biting her neck. His breath was also cold, but she didn't mind, the only thing she knew is that her crush was taking care of her. He pinched her skin to make her moan and wriggle between his legs. It was working very well. After a few minutes, he placed a kiss behind her ear and moved again in front of her.  
Slowly, he plunged his head into the water, his eyes still gazing at her. When he disappeared under the dark surface, Sam felt his hair between her thighs. She understood what he was about to do and sighed in pleasure. 

"And tell me, my beautiful Sam..."

The blonde woman tensed up. How could he speak under the water? She noticed that his voice had become huskier, more... bestial. Suddenly she saw him get his head above the liquid darkness. She screamed when she discovered his face, half-human, half-animal. His eyes were covered with a milky capping, but you could still see the green of his iris. In addition, his sharp teeth had ripped a part of his jaw, whereas the other side was totally normal.

"Do you think I'll miss you when I'll devour your gorgeous corpse?"

The creature which was supposed to be Josh let out a piercing cry, while Sam ran away from the bathroom. She went downstairs as fast as her legs could and started to shout in the living room, naked and terrified.

"Wow, slow down Sam! What's wrong?" Ashley asked, giving her a blanket.

"U-Up there! J-Jo... Oh my fucking God! Jesus Christ! He... He was... Damn, you should have seen his face!" Sam sobbed.

"Calm down, what are you talking about?"

"Josh! He was in the bathroom a-and... Oh fuck, his face..."

Lucas and [Y/N] watched each other in the eyes. That wasn't good. Not good at all. 

"Okay, Sam, listen to me. Nobody was here, you probably fell asleep and had a bad dream.", explained Chris.

"You shouldn't be so sure about this, egg head.", Lucas pointed out. " Sam, could you describe what you saw, exactly?"

She tried to reconstitute Josh's face. The long-haired man hummed and sat on the sofa. He joined his hands and placed them against his lips.

"Mmh... Wendigos are powerful spirits. They can influence our minds, and they are pretty convincing when they attempt to give hallucinations. It could have possibly happened to Josh when you found him in the mines. His sister was around."

"Are you telling us that our friend has turned into a wendigo and that he's aware of our presence, here, in his home?" Emily asked.

"A ninety percent chance, yeah.", Lucas answered in hushed tones.

"Oh for God's sake!"

"That's why we should already be in search of Joshua!" [Y/N] exclaimed.

"First we need to establish a plan."

"Which plan? There is no plan with wendigos! especially when they're half-human. We have to go now."

"And get killed one by one? Without me, sis'."

"We know these mines. We'll find a place to hide if necessary."

"Josh knows them too, surely better than us."

[Y/N] took her backpack and left the lodge, without saying a single word. Mike, Ashley, Jess, and Sam ran after her in the snowy outside. She was walking very fast, they could barely see her shape in the distance.

"[Y/N]!", they called.

She didn't reply and continued her way to the mines. Lower in the woods, they could hear Lucas, Chris, Emily, and Matt run out of breath by shouting [Y/N]'s names. All of sudden, Mike's group saw a gigantic flame rise above the forest.

"The fuck was that?", Jessica cried.

" I don't know, but we have to go-ahead to find [Y/N].", replied Mike.

"Maybe Lucas has the same machine as his father.", Ashley suggested.

" Why would he use it?"

"I don't fucking know Mike! I just hope for us it wasn't for a wendigo!"

"You would have heard inhuman screams, with a terrible and never-ending silence before the flames." said a feminine voice behind them.

The group screeched and fell in the snow.

"Holy shit! [Y/N] you scared the hell out of us!"

"Sorry. I found the mines. The main access is blocked by a snow heap. We've got to find another entrance."

"Could we at least wait for the others?" proposed Mike.

[Y/N] nodded and sat on the ground. She opened her bag and took a strange gun.

"What's this?" asked Jessica"

"Fire. I wouldn't touch it if I were you." a masculine voice yelled this time.

Lucas appeared, followed by the others.

"Never do that again, [Y/N]! You can't go out alone! Wendigos can be anywhere and everywhere, you know that, for fuck sake!"

"You're not Dad."

They stayed quiet for a few seconds before the brother sighed and inquired to his sister what she saw. Lucas took a map and searched with her another way to enter the mines.

"I'm sorry to tell you that the only safe way involves passing through the sanatorium. The trip will be longer than I thought, so we should go now."

[Y/N] stood up and placed her flamethrower in her back.  
Sam was relatively suspicious about the Fiddler. They were weird, fickle and seemed not to be certain of what they were doing. Following them in the mines didn't reassure her, but did she have the choice? Not really...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Master Of Death - Peter Gundry]

They didn't imagine it would have been that hard to walk through the snow, with a strong wind blowing in their faces. Lucas and [Y/N] were talking in a low voice. The long-haired man was pointing his weapon in front of him, his back slightly leaning over. Sam noticed his abnormal height and skinniness.

"It will take only a few minutes to finally reach the sanatorium. Hold on, folks.", he screamed without spinning his head behind him.

Even if he was the group leader, something in his voice was betraying his fear to open the doors of the building. His sister gave a worried look to him and took his hand firmly in hers. The woods became darker and denser gradually as they were progressing their way to the sanatorium. A sudden shriek behind them rose into the night.

"Jess!" yelled Mike.

"What's going on?"

When the Fiddlers came to see what happened, they discovered Jessica trapped in a hole full of thorny branches and climbing plants... Lucas rapidly put down his backpack and searched for... a pruner? The others were looking at him with astonished eyes. He tied a rope around his waist and a tree, then he approached prudently the edge of the hole to glance at the damages.

"Okay, Superbraid, you will have to stay calm and quiet while I cut the branches."

"Hurry up, please, Lucas."

" 'm Coming."

He slowly went down the steep slope with the secateurs and started to trim the knots tangled around Jessica. When he finished his work, he threw the tool to his sister and grabbed the wounded lady by the waist. He climbed not without difficulty and they both collapsed on the ground. Jess was crying. Her left leg was fractured.

"... Shit..." Lucas sighed.

"Jessica I'm sorry but we need to..." [Y/N] tried to explain.

"Don't touch me!"

"I'm sorry Jess."

[Y/N] pressed the bone which was piercing through Jess' skin and pressed it to put it back in place.

"I never saw such a thing. What's that?" Matt inquired.

"It's a trap.", replied Lucas.

"For what?"

"You mean for who... Humans. Wendigos were humans before their transformation. They know how to play their prey at their own game."

Lucas looked out of the corner of his eye his sister helping Jessica to wrap a bandage around her shin. Matt saw a strange spark into his gaze. After a few seconds, he realized the young man was fixing the blood flowing on the white snow.

"We have to go, now..."

The Fiddlers took once again the head of the group, [Y/N] helping Jessica to walk. They finally arrived at the sanatorium. It was around 9 pm. They had a break before penetrating the building. The largest room hadn't moved since the last time Sam saw it. The place was dusty, barely lighted by moon rays. Only their footsteps were echoing against the walls. Mike had taken the reins with Jessica, so Sam thought she could talk a bit with [Y/N]. She was wearing a sad face.

"[Y/N]? Is there something bothering you?"

"I'm so worried about Josh..."

"We will find him, I promise... Can I ask you something?"

"Yup"

"Hum...That's weird, I know but... H-How much were you close to Josh?

" I don't know honestly... It wasn't love. It was so pure, so much more powerful. There was something divine in our relationship as if a superior entity wanted to see us together. I lost him now."

Sam stayed quiet before reassuring [Y/N]. "If your real question was: did you already had sex with him? ... The answer is yes. He was my first and last time."

The blonde woman didn't know how to react. She felt a bit offended but she couldn't blame [Y/N]. The truth was simply... harsh. Their attention was suddenly drawn by Mike and Lucas, arguing about some papers.

"What's going on?"

"IS IT TRUE?"

"What?"

"ARE YOU TWO SOME CRAZY FUCKERS?"

"The fuck are you talking about?"

Mike showed [Y/N] the papers, which stipulated the mental condition of Lucas. ______________________________________

_**Name** : Lucas George Fiddler_

_**Age** : 22yo_

_**Nationality** : Canadian_

_**Born on** : March 15th, 1988_

_**Admitted for** : Cannibalism, severe paranoïa, ~~possible~~ schizophrenia_

_**Hair** : Black _

_**Eyes** : Green. Turning to grey? _

_**Skin** : White. _

_**Height** : 6.5ft. Growth post-pubescent?_

_**Weight** : 132lb. ~~Anorexia?~~ Lose weight even by eating a normal/bigger food amount. _

_**Other** : •Face transformation through the weeks. Animal features. _

_•Growth of the bones, nails, and teeth._

_•Familial obsession for wendigos. •No drugs._

_•Skin thickening. +2mm._

_•Pyrophobia._

_•Father tried non-allowed experiences on him._

_•Sister talking about a ritual. Probably crazy too._

_Doctor(s) in chief signature(s) : XX _______________________________________


	4. Chapter 4

_[Black Goat Of The Woods - Black Moutain Transmitter]_

"Okay, Mike, calm down. We can explain to you..."

"Oh, I bet you can. Sit down! Hands up!"

The Fiddlers kneeled on the cold floor, in silence. [Y/N] seemed worrier than her brother, who once again, glanced at Jessica's wound, which was bleeding even more. Mike shivered as he watched the other man licking his lips as if he was starving. He pointed more precisely the gun he was holding in his hand at Lucas's chest.

"What do you think you're going to do with me?" Lucas said in a mysterious voice.

"Shut up!"

"Come on, Mike...Have a try... DO IT!"

Mike pulled the trigger and closed his eyes. The scene wasn't probably very beautiful. However, the laugh of the "victim" raised in the room... He realized he hadn't killed Lucas, neither hurt him. His shirt was torn, but his skin had just a small bruise, where the bullet should have penetrate its target. No blood, no flesh, no hole, nothing at all. Lucas stood up and snatched the gun out of Mike's hands and threw it away. Then he walked towards him, but his gait became more threatening and animalistic. Jessica joined Mike and grabbed him by the arm. Lucas stopped abruptly when the woman entered his field of vision. The two friends observed teeth growing and sharpening from the man's mouth. His eyes turned almost white and more sensitive to the faintest movement. He gently grabbed Mike by his shoulder, who noticed the claws length of Lucas.

"Y-You'd better cover this up. I'm hungry. Don't play with my hunger." He whispered in their ears.

His voice sounded huskier. Behind his back, [Y/N] was approaching furtively, a burning match in her hand. She made a sign with her index on her mouth, to mean they had to stay quiet and natural. The half-monster was sniffing Jessica's hair and lifting Mike above the floor, grabbing him by his shirt. His sister took this opportunity to seize his arm and set fire to his elbow crook. The creature loudly grunted and shrieked when it felt a needle inserting into the same burned place, deep in its veins. Lucas pushed her violently and held his arm in pain. He groaned and whined as his teeth and nails were retracting. It lasted for about five minutes, until [Y/N]'s brother came back to his normal state.

"Thanks [Y/N]... I thought it was the last time Mike and I could talk together."

"Can someone tell me the fuck just happened?" Chris complained.

_[Lights Out - Cities Last Broadcast]_

_It was a summer sunny day when Lucas and his mother got stuck into the mines. They were walking innocently, like a normal family. He was twenty at that time. His father and little sister were fishing at the lake, on the other side of the mountain. If only they could have predicted this crumbling. The first days consisted in seeking food and a way to get out of here. They found birds, raccoons, mice, and rats... then insects... then nothing. The police had been investing for weeks but never found them. They lost themselves in their desperate attempt to reach an exit. Until this evening, when a policeman has been attacked and killed by a human-looking beast. It was fast and strong. It was starving. "Food... Eat... Food...More..." other officers could hear echoing against the walls. The murmurs guided them to a young man, of whom the members and skin had stretched at an incredible point. "Is it your son, Jack?" asked the agent. Mister Fiddler gasped when he saw Lucas's face. He kneeled in front of his son, who seemed to have recognized his father and didn't tear his head off. "Where is your mother, Lucas? Answer me, please.", asked the man. "... Sorry..." the creature replied in a growl. His father brushed his arm, a hot tear rolling on his cheek. "I'm sorry too, son.". A giant flame enlighted the tunnel and lit the half-wendigo's arm. Several years after, the fire was gone, but the pain was still there. And his heart... it burnt... burnt...burnt._

"That's all I can remember. [Y/N] always told me that they captured me and did a ritual, before injecting an antidote into my scald."

He rolled up his right sleeve and showed his arm, deformed and covered in scars.

_[Goëtia - Peter Gundry]_

"And what's this ritual?" Ashley kindly asked.

"It can only be transmitted from mother to daughter in Cree's tribes. We promised to the ones who taught us to keep the traditions safe.", [Y/N] answered.

"Oh come on, really? After everything we lived?" Emily took offense.

"I made a promise. I won't break it."

They heard a scream outside that made them shiver. Lucas suggested to go, they already had lost enough time and energy. While they were visiting once more the different rooms of the sanatorium, he remembered his detention in those cages, reeled in a straitjacket and enduring more or less orthodox treatments, imagined by psychiatric doctors and his father. The pain ... The physical pain, yes, but also mental pain. The pain to see his little sister scared of him, the pain to realize he was now a monster. He tried to commit suicide, but his wendigo instinct always got the upper hand. He was the prisoner of his own jail: life. The thing is that he never really healed. He only learned how to control his instincts, his urges, his hunger... To see blood or rotted human flesh could wake up the wendigo spirit in him. This double had affected his personality. He was easily angered, solitary, aloof, and coarse. He deeply hoped this would not happen to Josh. They had to find him, quick. His sister needed him.

She has been traumatized by his disappearance. He was the loveliest man in the world, who took care of her, and who accepted her mental issues. Sometimes [Y/N] had blackouts where she believed she was a little girl of eight years old. Josh knew how to handle her outbreaks, he didn't mind the constraints it implied. He alternated between lover and baby-sitter, but always in happiness and good intentions. He protected her, cherished her, gave her presents, cooked for her, listened and talked to her, walked in nature with her. The forest was her therapy, she could reconnect to her adult woman side and leave the child in her at home. The most annoying thing he had to face was the possibility that she had a crisis when they had a very intimate moment together. Fortunately, it never happened.

They were finally in the mines! Lucas and [Y/N] lit several torches. These could save their lives if needed. Different noises in the galleries were making hard the perception of potential wendigo's shriek. Water drops falling on stone, rats, wind... It's useless to say there was definitely a creepy atmosphere. Lucas explained to the group that his senses were increased thanks to his double nature, so the parasitic sounds wouldn't be a problem. He could recognize a wendigo in a radius of 6 miles. If Josh was here, he would know for sure.

"Okay sooo... How are we supposed to find Josh?" Chris asked.

"Don't worry, he will come to us, thanks to Jess. Human blood is very efficient to attract wendigos."

"Wait a minute, we're not certain that he has become a wendigo. Maybe he's still alive and... a human."

"It's impossible. The only sources of food are curious visitors and hikers. Or he's dead, or he's cursed."

"What about the hunt? Deers, birds, and... I don't know."

"Would you try to fight a deer with bare hands?"

Chris couldn't reply anything. Lucas was right: Josh was probably dead if he hadn't eaten a cadaver. His best friend... a monster... He couldn't imagine him as the terrifying beast he saw last year. It was worse than his most horrible nightmares. Josh was unstable, yes, he was mentally disturbed but it wasn't his fault. His sisters' death was a trauma for him, how could he blame him? Yes, his prank was not the best idea he had in his life, however, Chris just couldn't still be angry at him. Josh needed help. That's all. He was pretty surprised that his best pal never talked about [Y/N], who had obviously a place in his heart. Did Josh know about Lucas's past? Is [Y/N] ill too? So many questions, and not many answers.

Chris unexpectedly banged against the others' backs. He heard Lucas sniffing something and staring at the tunnel in front of them. They were not alone.

"Don't move.", he whispered.

A creature exited the shadow and approached the group. It was searching for something, probably food. Of course, it smelled Jessica's blood on her bandage and [Y/N] 's clothes. It let out an animal scream and threw [Y/N] to the ground, to tower over her and opened his huge jaws to bite her neck. But something pushed the wendigo against the wall and ripped its head as if it was a vulgar sheet of paper. Lucas helped his sister to get up and pointed his flamethrower at the beast who saved her. In the dark, they only were able to see a white ball glowing. The whole group was brandishing their torches in protection. The creature seemed to be afraid and grunted to impress them. But they quickly noticed it was not a wendigo, or at least not a monster like the one who attacked them earlier. Sam put her torch on the ground and approached herself of the thing that avoided [Y/N] a certain death.

"Joshua?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Sam!" Chris yelled.

The blonde girl offered Josh her hand and smiled, but the creature took a step back and groaned. Lucas placed himself before her and slung a piece of meat, that the half-wendigo caught in flight and hastened to eat. While Josh was devouring his fresh meal, the others took the opportunity to study his face. In the Fiddlers' opinion, it was strange that he hadn't completely turned into a wendigo. A year had passed, but he had conserved the majority of his human appearance. One of his eyes had a milky color, whereas the other kept his green iris. The leafy eye was slightly more open than the other. Sharp teeth were piercing his skin and gum on the left side of his face and had torn apart his cheek, which from some shreds were hanging. His mouth was covered in fresh and dried blood. He swiped the dark red liquid with his hand and licked it. His hands had a strange color between grey and purple and were provided with black and yellow unbreakable claws.  
Sam tried to approach him just a few inches more but she immediately stepped back when he raised his hand above her head, spreading out his nails, sharp-edged as razors. Something seemed to hold his hit back. Was his human side fighting not to hurt anybody? He shook his head in a negative way and ran away.

"Josh, wait!" [Y/N] screamed.

She ran after him, without waiting for the rest of the band. Her brother called her name several times but she didn't answer and kept sinking in the mines.  
She was much more vulnerable now: no light, no friend, no eyes behind her head. She only had her gun and her backpack which was containing some food, water, a knife, and a first-aid kit. But not for many days. If she got lost, she could survive on her own for three days.

The knife wouldn't defend her in the case of a wendigo attack. Their skin was way too thick, too solid, to be stabbed. Her flamethrower was old and already had received damages, so it couldn't last very much longer.  
She felt suddenly like a hunter hunted. Hunted by her own prey. Some holes in the vault were allowing the light of the moon to enter the tunnels, but it was still dark and anything could be hiding between rocks. Her adrenaline decreased, her legs were shaking and she couldn't breathe properly. She sat on the ground to take deep breathing. She rested her head on the wall behind her, attempting to think about the situation. Lucas had the map, and she didn't know where she was. Her tools to defend herself were ineffective against starving creatures, which were probably wandering not far away from her. She was hungry, tired and desperate to find Joshua. Or at least what was left of him. She closed her eyes and remembered his beautiful face. Such a complex soul in a pleasant body, this should have been forbidden. But her dream was brutally interrupted.

Something was sniffing and touching her hair. She gulped and seized firmly her gun. What was she supposed to do now? She wouldn't be fast and strong enough to knock the beast out but it was too close to her to burn it to the ground. The thing behind her grabbed her neck and lifted her. The strength in its large hand was incredible. She started to suffocate while the wendigo was smelling her skin and grunting. It appeared that it understood that [Y/N] was about to faint, however, curiously, it put her down gently on the ground and released her. She coughed for a few minutes, trying to catch her breath. She hadn't the strength to get up, so she stayed laid, crying, waiting for her death. But the only thing she felt coming was the monster nuzzling her temple.

"... [Y/N] ..."

She wasn't sure if she had to say something or not. She whispered Josh's name in disbelief. His disfigured face slowly appeared in her sight.  
He didn't move and stayed close to her, without touching her skin. His face, although disfigured, had a regret expression. He stammered unintelligible words, but [Y/N] deduced, by the sounds he was producing, he wanted to apologize. She sat up and looked at him. He was moving crouching, like a primate, he crawled like a spider on the walls, but he could also stand on his legs, like a normal human, even if his posture was more bestial.

"Josh... Do you have any idea how much I missed you?"

She hugged him but didn't get the same thing back. Her friend simply pushed her away with a sad smile.

"What's wrong?" she asked, placing her hand on his cheek.

The boy spun his head in a growl. He showed her his jaw and his claws, symbols of danger and violence. He probably wasn't sure about his self-control. She gently interlaced her fingers with his.

"I can help you, but I need you to trust me. Do you trust me, Josh?"

He nodded and brought her hand to his mouth, trying to kiss her skin and smelling her scent. She felt his rough fangs and his warm breath. A thrill shook her arm and made Josh smile. Yes, she was afraid of his wendigo side, but she knew his human side and his endless kindness.

"But first, we need to find the others, quickly. I don't know where we are right now. Do you?"

Josh suddenly seemed to disagree with [Y/N]. He shook his head in a negative way and hid his face. [Y/N] was the only one who could see him like this. The others wouldn't understand. They wouldn't think about the long...so long days, weeks and months he has been through, avoiding as much as possible to eat human flesh. By the way, policemen were absolutely disgusting, whereas hikers had an exquisite taste. "Stop thinking about it." he blamed himself.

"Josh, please. I promise we'll be both safe. We have to find Lucas and your friends. Do you understand?"

"...Y...Yes."

"Great. Let's go."

The wendigo grabbed the young woman's hand, inviting her to stay there and take some rest. She looked at the time on her watch: 2:45 am. Her eyelids suddenly became heavy, Josh's chest was so warm... How could she resist a nice restful sleep?


End file.
